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Strategic Planning and Formulation in Public Secondary Schools Kenya
Strategic Planning and Formulation in Public Secondary Schools Kenya
INTRODUCTION
A strategy is a set of activities or processes that an organization intends to use in order to achieve
its set goals and aims (Pearce, 2009). The roadmap to success has to be well defined for any
organization to be successful. A strategic plan helps to provide direction and focus for all
employees (www.onlinebusadv.com/?PAGE=171, date accessed 26/10/2013). Strategic planning
setting out decisions and actions that result in the formulation and implementation of actions
designed to achieve organizations objectives (Clive, 2005). A strategic plan also helps the
various work units within an organization to align themselves with common goals
(www.onlinebusadv.com/?PAGE=171, date accessed 26/10/2013). Management needs a well
developed strategic plan in order to effectively establish expectations for their organization.
Without a plan, expectations are developed in a void and there is little or no alignment with
common goals (www.onlinebusadv.com/?PAGE=171, date accessed 26/10/2013). The
development of the education sector has been a long standing objective of the Government of
Kenya since independence in 1963 (www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_2_No_5_March 2012, date
accessed 26/10/2013). This has therefore led to development of strategic plans to help them to
develop strategic orientation and execution of strategies capable of moving the schools to their
desired future states. Strategic planning and thinking involves making choices and decisions
about the longterm future of an organization (Pearce, 2009). Despite the importance of a good
strategic plan and the Kenyan government having put in policies and guidelines on strategic
planning in public secondary schools, very few schools have adopted it (Achoka, 2007). In order
to ensure it is adopted there is need to understand the relationship that exists between strategic
planning and formulation. This will provide public secondary schools with a strategic road-map
toward successful strategic planning, organizational development, and school effectiveness
(Neville, 2002). According to Eldridge (2001), strategic plans implemented at 70% and above
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mainly because executives do not have knowledge in strategic management and organizations
make assumptions that when executives are employed, they are strategists. The assumption that
when executives are employed they can think and act strategically has been refuted by this study
since executives have shown lack of knowledge of strategic issues. Donley, (2007) in his study
engaging the board of directors on strategy, Strategy & Leadership, offering a five-point process
for effectively engaging a board of directors on strategy that he developed working together with
corporate leaders and found out that when the CEO thinks through this process and engages the
directors, the board and the CEO can enter into a dialogue that leads to collaboration and a
greater chance of achieving the goals of the organization.
KNOWLEDGE GAP
Several studies have been conducted touching on strategy planning and formulation. For
example, Howard, (2007) focusing on the balanced scorecard as a means of measuring
performance and modifying business school strategies over time as his research design and on
the study business school strategy and the metrics for success recommended a range of metrics
for business schools from financial lenses to innovation and learning lenses, and adapts the
scorecard framework to strategic processes from business planning to feedback and learning. Kit,
(2004) on his study a conceptual synergy model of strategy formulation for manufacturing, the
rate of change in both internal and external environments of manufacturing firms is increasing,
which necessitates that increased attention be paid to strategic planning and strategy formulation.
In this study, a conceptual synergy model for strategy formulation is proposed. Jitendra et al,
(2013) on their study on the Government versus private primary schools in India: An assessment
of physical infrastructure, schooling costs and performance, using India Human Development
Survey (IHDS) data. Bivariate, trivariate,?2 and ANOVA test, factor analyses and Theil index
were also used as methods of analyses. The results presented a distinct picture of government
and private primary school education in India in terms of physical infrastructure standards,
schooling cost and performance of students. In all the three selected indicators, private primary
schools remained a forerunner or outperform the government primary schools in India. Besides
this, the physical infrastructure and schooling cost found to have effect on performance of
students both in private and public schools. Les, (2002) on the other hand conducted a study on
strategic planning and school management: full of sound and fury, signifying nothing?, based on
this analysis, an alternative approach to planning in schools and to school organization and a
more flexible approach to school organization and leadership is proposed that is grounded in a
shorter planning time scale and the development of structures that facilitate involvement,
cooperation and collaboration. Kai, (2007) on business school rankings: content and context,
critiques the methodologies of ranking systems, their statistical validity, the factors used, and the
weightings given to them. Found out that rankings are significant drivers of a school's reputation.
Good performance can double inquiries and applications and allow schools to charge prestige
premiums. Financial Times top decile MBA programmes charge, on average, just below $80,000
for an MBA. Bottom decile schools charge only $37,000. Susan, (1998) in her study in the
health-promoting school: reflections on school-parent links, concluded from the findings of
recent surveys that, in England, schools are at the early stages of developing liaison with parents.
Identifies a number of barriers to progress. Calls for clear, realistic policies at the national level,
and for practical guidance that would enable schools to convert policy to practice. Andrew,
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Independent variables
Dependent variable
Academic qualification
School Category
Formulation of strategic
plans in public secondary
schools
Training on strategic
planning
Figure 1: conceptual framework
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. Descriptive survey research
designs is used in preliminary and exploratory studies to allow researchers to gather information,
summarize, present and interpret for the purpose of clarification (Orodho, 2002). Mugenda &
Mugenda (1999) on the other hand give the purpose of descriptive research as determining and
reporting the way things are. Borg & Gall (1989) noted that descriptive survey research is
intended to produce statistical information about aspects of education that interest policy makers
and educators. The ideal setting for any study should be easily accessible to the researcher and
should be that which permits instant rapport with the informants (Singleton, 1993). The target
population for this study consisted of 52 school principals. The major tool of data collection for
this study was questionnaires for primary data. Gay (1992) asserts that questionnaires give
respondents freedom to express their views or opinion and also to make suggestions. Some
secondary data was obtained from the county and district education offices. Mugenda &
Mugenda (1999) define secondary data as any publication by an author who was not a direct
observer or participant in the events described. The data collected was analysed using descriptive
statistics. As mentioned by Gray (2004), qualitative data provides rich descriptions and
explanations that demonstrate the chronological flow of events as well as often leading to chance
findings.
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Yes
No.
Diploma
10
50
60
Degree
30
70
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70% of schools chaired by degree holder had formulated a strategic plan while 50% of schools
chaired by diploma holders had formulated a strategic plan. Also 60% of the schools with a non
graduate board chair had not formulated strategic plans while 16% of those headed by graduate
chair had not formulated their plans. This is according to the table 1 above.
Table 2: Relationship between Principals Training and Strategic Planning.
Does your school have a strategic plan
Strategic Training
Yes
%
No.
%
Trained
Untrained
40
3
81
13
6
4
19
77
81% of the principals trained on strategic planning had formulated strategic plans while 19% of
those trained had not. Similarly, 13% of principals untrained in strategic planning had formulated
strategic plans while 77% of the untrained had not formulated the plans. This is as shown in
Table 2 above.
Table 3: Relationship between School Category and Strategic Planning
Does your school have a strategic plan
School Category
Yes
%
No.
%
County
District
5
31
85
67
3
2
30
17
67 % of the district schools that were interviewed agreed on having formulated strategic plans
while 85% of county schools had formulated strategic plans.
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